2009 April (PDF)

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE GOLD COAST TREASURE CLUB, INC.
VOLUME 34 NUMBER 4

APRIL 2009

THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE 7:30 P.M. APRIL 9
AT THE WEST PALM BEACH GARDEN CLUB IN DREHER PARK
IN WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA

OUR CODE OF ETHICS: HAVE PERMISSION AND DO NO HARM

APRIL MEETING

APRIL CLUB HUNT – FOR NIGHT OWLS

A large group of GCTC members is heading to
Daytona Beach this weekend for the Great Southern
Beach Shootout. Our April 9th meeting will feature a
lively recap of the GSBSO activities. Last year Linda
Bennett presented a highly entertaining slide show, which
aptly punctuated the many Tall Tales that participants
shared about the weekend, during which, six of our club
members found top 50 tokens! Our members won $5,000,
$2,000, $600, $500, a box of silver bars, and a metal
detector! Come to the April meeting to learn what goodies
they raked in this year. And to see what trouble they got
themselves into. (Betty, keep an eye on Jerry this year!)
A big thank you goes out to Elayne Lynch for
volunteering to bring the refreshments and to Joseph
Cook for agreeing to bring the Mystery Item.

Let's take advantage of the time change and get out
there to enjoy the longer evening sunlight. Our next club
hunt will be a “wild hunt” on Saturday, April 11th at the
Pompano Beach pier. Please meet at 5:00 p.m. in the
municipal parking lot across from the pier. Unfortunately,
we will have to pay for parking, so come prepared.
(Carpool anyone?) For those who use GPS, the address of
the pier is: 222 North Pompano Beach Boulevard.
Directions from I-95: exit at E. Atlantic Blvd. / FL-814 E.
Go east for 0.8 miles, then turn north, or left, on North
Pompano Beach Blvd. It is 0.2 miles to the pier.

JOIN US AT PA BBQ BEFORE THE MEETING!
A group of us get together for dinner at 5:30 p.m. right
before each club meeting as a way to catch up with
friends, old and new. Join us in the back room of Park
Ave. (PA) BBQ in Lake Worth. (Dinner is Dutch Treat.)

Park Ave. BBQ & Grille
2401 North Dixie Hwy (US 1)
Lake Worth, Florida
Please don’t forget to return books, DVDs and tapes that
you checked out from the library last month!

TREASURER’S REPORT
$2,034.67
Good luck to the group traveling to Daytona
for the Great Southern Beach Shootout!

MAY CLUB HUNT – FOR EARLY BIRDS

Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 31st for a planted
morning hunt that will be hosted by Ben Smith. “SAVE
THE DATE” for this event, which will be held at Jupiter
Beach. More details will follow in the May newsletter.

CONTEST COMING IN AUGUST!
“WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR FINDS”
Back by popular demand, our August meeting will test
the limits of GCTC members’ creativity through a little
contest we like to call “What to Do with Your Finds!”
Members will be challenged to submit entries made out of
their finds. In years past, we’ve seen some pretty creative
entries and we expect this year to be just as interesting.
Silver prizes will be awarded in three categories: Most
Creative, Best Display and Most Unusual. So, start
thinking about what YOU can do to give your finds new
life! Members are not limited to the number of entries that
they can submit. If you need inspiration, check out our
club website for pictures of last year’s contest:
http://www.geocities.com/gctreasureclub/index.html

MEMBERS BUY AND SELL COLUMN
THE GOLD COAST TREASURE CLUB, INC.
Founded in 1973 by Ted Rudd
President
Mindy Spiroch
561-432-7242
Vice-President
Stacey deLucia
561-687-2310
Secretary
Jan Smirnow
561-735-8921
Treasurer
Ken Lubinski
561-762-0116
Hunt Master: Linda Bennett
561-791-7682
Cell Phone: 561-352-4068
Assistant Hunt Master: Gary McNew
561-718-5523
Sales and Raffle Promoter
Elayne Lynch
Photographer: Steve Hoskins
Librarian: Cheryl Petenbrink
Hospitality Hostess: Betty Laur
Doorprize Coordinator: Karen Larson
Membership: John Lobota and Jim Sharp
Newsletter Co-Editors:
Linda Bennett and Stacey deLucia
Email: gctreasureclub@yahoo.com
Website:www.geocities.com/gctreasureclub/

CLUB MAILING ADDRESS
c/o Gail Hoskins
206 Russell Dr
Lake Worth, Fl 33461

Dues are $30 a year
New members pay an
initiation fee of $5
and $30 if joining between Jan 1st
and the end of June
or $15 if joining between July 1
and Dec. 31

KEVIN REILLY offers a complete line of new & used
detectors, scoops, cleaners, tumblers and books. He also
does custom metal working and laser detailing. For
details, call 954-971-6102. Low prices plus 10% discount
to members! See my website: www.rtgstore.com.
TOM LIEBERMAN – Ready to serve your real estate
needs. Call 561-852-7409; email: telieberman@aol.com
ED WESTON – WANTED: Collectable and antique
fishing tackle. Lures, rods, reels. 561-622-9282.
FRANK and PAULINE NASH – Minelab and Fisher
metal detectors for sale: palmbeachmetaldetectors.com.
The owners are club members Frank and Pauline Nash.
When you purchase a new detector from them or refer a
customer to them, 10% of the net profits will go directly
to benefit our club and its members. Call 561-743-5248.
JERRY LAUR - Stainless Steel Colt 45 cal Pistol: $800;
Stainless Steel Ruger Mark II, 22 cal pistol: $500;
Minelab Explorer metal detector with extra books: $800;
Whites DFX metal detector with extra books: $800. All
items are like new with little use. Call Jerry @ 561-6947963 8AM to 8PM.
RALPH SQUIER/BRENDA DICKERSON - Cast
aluminum patio table with glass top and chairs for $110.
Two 19 inch TV’s - $20 each. Call 561-737-0539.
LINDA BENNETT - Garrett Ace 250 metal detector
won at TCAS hunt. Brand new, in box with warranty.
Retails at $249.95. Will sell for $180. Call 561-352-4068.
BOB SMIRNOW - Tesoro LObo. Bought in 2006 for
$800. Never used. With headphones. Asking $450. Call
Bob Smirnow: 561-735-8921.
STACEY deLUCIA – Stained glass kits from Clarity
Glass Design: Five (5) NEW-in-original-boxes 8” x 11”
Oak Octagon-shaped boxes. Just insert stained glass
piece to make beautiful jewelry boxes. Purchased for $30
each. Two (2) Oak Pen Stand Kits for stained glass with
patterns. Unopened in original packaging. $10 each.
Also, Minelab Pro Deluxe large carrying bag with
outside pocket. Never used. $25. Call 561-687-2310 or
email: sdeLuc823@aol.com.

Club members can advertise items for sale or items wanted,
free of charge. Sometimes ads will need to be edited due to
available space. Items do not have to be related to metal
detecting. Contact Linda Bennett to place your ad.

MONTHLY BEST FINDS CONTEST
(Winners receive a silver quarter and certificate)

BEST GOLD – JASON PETENBRINK
14 Kt Grill

Picture withheld
by request

BEST SILVER – STACEY deLUCIA
Silver Ring

MOST UNUSUAL – GARY SPIROCH
Mouth Piece

Second Place for Monthly Best Finds

Gold - Nikolay Malchev (Gold ring with diamonds)
Silver – Jim Sharp (Key Ring)
Most Unusual – Tom Lieberman (Hair Piece)
Best Costume – Gary Spiroch (Watch)
Best Coin – Tom Lieberman (Buffalo Nickel)

******************************************
MYSTERY ITEM
New members, especially, wonder - WHAT is a
Mystery Item? Each month one club member volunteers
to help stump fellow members by choosing a secret item
that is revealed after the break. If an item in a member's
Tall Tales Table display matches the mystery item, that
member wins a silver quarter! So bring ALL your finds you might just win a prize! Sorry gang…the person
supplying the mystery item does not get the silver
quarter if they stump the club. But they DO receive a
free door prize ticket for their effort!
The March mystery Item, provided by Gary McNew,
was a wire connector, better known as a “butt
connector.” Gary successfully stumped everyone!

******************************************
CHALLENGE LEVELS
Level 2
(Certificate and Silver Dime)

COSTUME JEWELRY – MINDY SPIROCH
Ring

Frank Nash
Level 3
(Certificate and Silver Quarter)
BEST COIN – MINDY SPIROCH
Australian Coin

Les Batts

MARCH MEETING
President Mindy Spiroch opened the March
meeting with a big welcome to Steve Lewis and his son
Brandon, who were guests of Jerry Laur; Beverly
(who heard about us at the Green Market in Lake Worth)
and Maggie, a guest of Frank Nash. It is with great
pleasure that we welcome new members Nick Mosca of
Hollywood; Ralph Squier and Brenda Dickerson of
Boynton Beach; and Jack Saint of Lake Park.
Mindy announced that - by board consensus - voting
for “Best Finds” is limited to members who are 13years-old and older. According to our bylaws, voting for
election of officers is restricted to members who are 18
years of age and older.
Secretary Jan Smirnow thanked members who have
donated ink cartridges. These donations helped us raise
$19 for our treasury. Jan said that cell phones aren’t
selling well, so we’ll probably donate them to a charity.
Due to our Silent Auction, the break was longer than
usual to allow members to bid on items. Given the
sluggish economy, we did okay. The silent auction
raised $233.50, which will supplement future club
activities. Thanks to all who donated. Thanks also go to
Marilyn and Les Batts for bringing refreshments!

******************************************
BIRTHDAYS
March birthday celebrants Marilyn Batts, Nikolay
Malchev, Radina Malchev, Heather McNew, and
Jason Petenbrink each received a gold Presidential
dollar for attending the meeting during their birthday
month.
Happy Birthday, gang!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS MONTH TO:
Richard Henderson (4/8)
Bob Konnagan (4/11)
Karen Larson (4/1)
Amanda Maduri (4/8)
Della Miller (4/12)
All of the people listed above have at least one thing
in common. If they come to a meeting during their
birthday month, they each will receive a gift of a gold
Presidential dollar!

******************************************
CLUB ITEMS FOR SALE
Pens with Club Name: $3.00
Club Towels: $3.00
DONATIONS
Club Patches: $5.00
GCTC Travel Cups: $8.00
Club T-shirts: $12 - $15

Thanks to Gary McNew for his donation of a
fantastic speaker system for our club meetings. The
sound was loud and clear for everyone, including those
who sat in the back of the room. It was quite an
improvement. The system not only had a wired
microphone for President Mindy Spiroch, but two
wireless microphones to pass around to the other
officers, the hunt master and the audience. All of our
hearing-impaired members appreciate this donation!

******************************************
TALL TALES
Frank Nash warned about a beach cleaning machine
that cleans 4 to 6 inches deep. These machines are being
used from South Beach up to Deerfield Beach. They are
not used every day, so we need to figure out the
schedule. If you hit the beach just after one of these
machines is used, your chances of finding jewelry will
be slim. Frank said that the machine operator is allowed
to keep whatever he finds. (Do they need volunteers?)
Frank and Pauline Nash spent a Saturday evening
into the wee hours of Sunday trying to locate a lost (and
very expensive to replace) Mercedes key. Unfortunately
they were not successful, but the owner, Maggie,
attended the meeting as Frank’s appreciative guest.

******************************************
TIPS
Jan Smirnow said that she found a Rose Gold
crucifix that was dirty looking, but once it was cleaned
up, one could see that it was, in fact, gold. Rose gold has
more copper content, which will tarnish.
Linda Bennett gave a brief history of WW II nickels.
From mid-1942 to 1945, so-called "Wartime"
composition nickels were created. These coins are 56%
copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese. The only other
U.S. coins to use manganese are the Sacagawea and
Presidential dollars. The wartime nickel features the
largest mint mark ever to grace a United States coin,
located above Monticello's dome on the reverse.
An unofficial variety of the wartime coin dated 1944
was made in 1954 when counterfeit nickels were
produced by Francis LeRoy Henning of Erial, New
Jersey. The 1944 nickels were quickly spotted since
Henning neglected to add the large mint mark. He also
made counterfeit nickels dated 1939, 1946, 1947, and
possibly 1953 as well as one other unidentified date. It is
estimated that more than 100,000 of Henning's nickels
reached circulation. These can still be found in pocket
change, and there is a thriving collectors' market for
them, although owning counterfeit money is technically
illegal.

******************************************
RAFFLE
Congratulations to member Glen Gamble for
winning the Pin Pointer Raffle at the March meeting!

OCEANSIDE FARMER’S MARKET
Ten members spent the morning of February 28 at the
Oceanside Farmer’s Market in Lake Worth promoting the
hobby of metal detecting and our club. John Lobota
researched various community events and handled
arrangements. A booth was set up which featured displays
of members’ finds, trash recovered from recent club hunts,
and scrapbooks filled with pictures of club events, items
returned to their owners, and thank you letters for some of
those returns. The event was a great opportunity to
educate the public about the hobby and how our club
benefits our community. Thanks to all who helped out!

John Lobota, Linda Bennett, Ken Lubinski, Mindy
Spiroch, Steve Hoskins, Jim Sharp, Gary Spiroch. Not
Pictured - Gail Hoskins, Frank and Pauline Nash

*******************************************
CAMP OKLAWAHA BOY SCOUT CAMP HUNT
Ten club members and four invited guests from the
TCAS club (Mitch King, Frank Hansen, Richard and
Toni Hart) spent the day metal detecting and collecting
trash as a service project for the Gulf Stream BS Council.
One brave soul from TCAS, Frank, hunted the swimming
hole while keeping a close eye on a small alligator. For his
efforts, Frank found a silver ring. He also returned a very
nice knife that had been lost the previous night by one of
the campers. Gary McNew found a silver quarter and
Wheatie; Karen Larson found a costume ring; Mitch
found a silver dime and ten Wheaties; Toni found one
Wheatie. Irving Smith led the pack in clad coins found,
with Gary McNew following close behind.

JIM WARNKE MEMORIAL
HUNT AND PICNIC
The weather could not have been more perfect for a
two hour planted hunt followed by our annual club picnic.
Twenty-nine hunters and four supporters gathered in a
local county park for some friendly competition. 1000 old
American coins were planted, including silver dimes;
silver quarters; silver half-dollars; silver dollars; V nickels;
buffalo nickels; pre-1959 Jefferson nickels, including
some WWII nickels that are 35% silver; Indian Head
pennies; and Wheat pennies.
The majority of coins were planted the evening before
the hunt; silver coins were planted the morning of the hunt.
To allow the planters to participate in the hunt, the field
was divided into thirds. A planter could not hunt his or her
field for the first 30 minutes. The planters could be easily
identified by their already sore, limping bodies. Thanks to
John Lobota, Gary McNew and Linda Bennett for their
efforts. Also, special thanks go out to John for his search
to find the perfect site for this event. All items were
planted very shallow with minimal digging required. Still,
18 dimes, 2 quarters, 12 buffalo nickels, 20 Jefferson
nickels and 49 Wheat pennies were not recovered.
Every hunter received a prize. Prizes included silver
coins; scoop; gator digger; headphones; hats with built in
light; pouches; tumblers; towels; hats; mandrel; ring sizer;
books; and a pinpointer. The order of prize selection was
determined by randomly drawing the names out of a bowl.
A warm thank you is extended to the following generous
donors for the prizes: Kevin Reilly, Gary McNew, Linda
Bennett, Dave Grix, Garrett Metal Detectors, Kellyco,
White's Metal Detectors and Minelab Metal Detectors.
Special thanks to Gail Hoskins for taking the pictures and
to Gary McNew for cooking the hot dogs.

Top Hunter Irving Smith

Ranger with trash
collection

Ken, the Petenbrinks, Linda, Mitch
Photos by Linda Bennett and Karen Larson

This was the fifth memorial hunt and picnic to honor Jim
Warnke who past away in 2004 at the age of 80 years
young. Jim joined the GCTC shortly after the club was
formed in 1973 and served in every office. The longest
position he held was as newsletter editor. He was known
in the treasure world for his many interesting books and
magazine articles about treasure hunting, especially ghost
towns of Florida and hunting abandoned home sites.

HAVE DETECTOR, WILL TRAVEL
Jimmy Chodan invites anyone who will visit the state
of New York during the spring, summer or fall to come
hunt with him. He lives 100 miles north of New York City
on the Connecticut-Massachusetts border. If you will be in
the area, give him a call at 518-567-8168.

Irving Smith was second place in the competition hunt.
He found 87 painted pennies. The winner found 89.

*******************************************
TCAS HUNT
The Treasure Coast Archeological Society in Sebastian
held its 22nd annual competition hunt on Saturday, March
14 at the Kiwanis-Hobart Park, Wabasso, Florida. The
sluggish economy didn't seem to affect the entries, with
over 70 hunters enrolled from as far away as
Pennsylvania. Two hunters from the WPB area joined our
club. See new members listed in the directory.
GCTC members who attended the hunt were:
Irving Smith, Ken Lubinski, Linda Bennett, Karen
Larson, Gary Spiroch and Bob Dobski.

Irving received a second place trophy, sand scoop and
headphones
Prizes were won by the following members:
Ken Lubinski – sand scoop and headphones
Irving Smith – Head phones and a canvas bag full of
goodies such as tool set, flashlight, etc.
Linda Bennett – Garrett drinking cup, flashlight and
cooler cover
Bob Dobski found a key, but alas it didn’t open the
treasure chest. Bob has won the treasure chest in a past
TCAS hunt.
Winner of Raffle – Garrett Ace 250 Metal Detector

Linda Bennett

*******************************************
OTHER GREAT FINDS
Seen on the March Tall Tales Table

Ask Bob!!!???

Bob Dobski

Ken Lubinski

Gary Spiroch

Photos by Bob Dobski, Karen Larson and Linda Bennett

CLUB DIRECTORY

BURIED COIN CACHE

The directory is for the personal use of members
only. Names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses
are to be used only for contact within the club. If there
are any errors or omissions, notify Jan Smirnow: 561735-8921.

I am buried in a playground located in a small
park in the Palm Springs area.

NEW MEMBERS

FIRST CLUE

Item buried is a small vitamin container 2 3/4" long and
1 1/2 " in diameter. It is placed in a Ziploc® bag.

Ed D'Amato
11745 Greenbriar Circle
Wellington, FL 33414-5911
Tel No. 561-370-3346
krystalklear37@hotmail.com
Tessa Durand
4695 Collier Rd
Greenacres, FL 33463
Tel no. 561-358-2252
krystalklear37@hotmail.com

SECOND CLUE

Nick & Cindy Mosca
3717 S. Longfellow Circle
Hollywood, FL 33021
Tel No. 954-981-7179
moscac@bellsouth.net
Jack Saint
1040 Lake Shore Drive #101
Lake Park, FL 33403
Tel No. 561-629-2420
Jack_saint2004@yahoo.com

******************************************
RECYCLING & DONATIONS
Jan Smirnow collects cell phones and used ink
cartridges (name brand cartridges, not generic) to raise
money for the GCTC. Jan is also collecting pull tabs that
will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House. Please
SAVE yours and give to Jan.
Stacey deLucia is still collecting prescription glasses
and sunglasses for the Lion’s Club of South Florida.
John Lobota will accept member donations of metals
such as brass, copper and lead weights that we find
while metal detecting. He will take them to the recycling
plant to sell for the metal content. All cash raised will
help to replenish our treasury, so please see John to
donate! Don’t let all that digging go to waste!

******************************************
FOREIGN COINS
Our club, along with the South Florida Treasure
Club, continues to collect foreign coins to donate
towards a summer camp for handicapped children. This
is a year-round project. If you have coins to donate,
please see Linda, who will make sure your donation
goes to the right place! Thanks to everyone who helps!

X

X MARKS THE SPOT
Burial of cache and the clues are provided by Linda
Bennett. If found by a club member, that person will
receive a prize of $25 AND earn the right to bury the
next cache! Good luck everyone! Start digging! Be sure
to fill all holes!

******************************************
PAUL HAMLIN'S TIP OF THE MONTH
Check your spare battery packs - rotate them. Most
batteries will lose power just by not using them in a
timely manner. Keep notes on how long they last
between charges. If you use your spare battery pack you
will keep from cutting your hunts short because of no
power.

******************************************
TALL TALES TABLES TOTALS FOR 2009
AS OF MARCH

DOLLAR AMOUNT: $ 973.16
PLATINUM: 5
GOLD: 27
SILVER: 43

UPCOMING EVENTS
April 9 – Club Meeting
April 11 – Club Hunt
May 31 – Club Hunt hosted by Ben Smith
August Meeting: What to Do with Your Finds Contest

NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTORS
Thanks to the following contributors:
Linda Bennett, Stacey deLucia,
Jan Smirnow and Paul Hamlin
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AND SEE OUR NEWSLETTER IN FULL COLOR:
WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/GCTREASURECLUB/